


The Firebender

by LillianMae



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26624020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillianMae/pseuds/LillianMae
Summary: Set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jiera Hazoko tries to help those she can after being exiled from the Fire Nation. Being a self taught Firebender, she does what she can to protect her younger brother Ortise, an Earthbender, and according to their parents, a disappointment. When Jiera gets taken by the Fire Nation (again), she is forced to ask herself more difficult questions as she learns to trust people she never thought she'd talk to, while Ortise pleads with a certain Gaang to help rescue his lost sister.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 2





	The Firebender

**Author's Note:**

> The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs exclusively to Nickelodeon and its individual creators.

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and now, word is beginning to spread that he's back, and he's fighting for us. Although I've heard his airbending skills are great, he can't protect everyone, so my brother and I do what we can help those who need it. I still can't wait for that day though...the day the Avatar saves the world. 

ΔΔΔ

I crouched on the rocky cliffside that overlooked the southern tip of the vast expanse of the Fire Nation. Below it stretched an endless plain of rolling waves, all illuminated softly by the pale light of the moon. Tides crashed against the shore far below me, but soft notes of a forgotten melody carried through the air, made by someone walking on the sandy beaches. A mother strode along the shores, a baby tied securely onto her back, and I kept the woman in sight as she stopped her trek to make a fire in a nearby cave. 

Shifting on my feet, I tried to remain vigilant by repositioning my body in a way that didn't aggravate my aching joints (a byproduct of my tall nature) in hopes that tonight would just be another boring one. I frowned slightly as my black cape fluttered loudly in the wind and quickly snatched it back to my side, clenching onto it with one hand while the other rested on my knee. As sore as my joints were, I kept both eyes locked on the large camp to the East, aware of every passing shadow as they crossed through light. It was my job to protect this place. To protect the refugees inside it. And that's exactly what I planned on doing. 

"Jiera." A voice snapped. 

I didn't have to turn my head to know who was speaking, and elected to roll my eyes dramatically instead. "What Ortise?"

There was some shuffling before the voice spoke again. "Did you eat all the fire gummies?"

Finally, I turned, bringing my black hood down with a single flick of the wrist and staring at my younger brother incredulously. "Seriously? You're ruining my stakeout to ask about fire gummies?"

"It's a very important question," Ortise states simply, putting a hand on his hip as he looked down at his sister. "Because if the answer is yes, I will earthbend your butt back home with no remorse."

Rolling my eyes, I turned back around and focused on the sound of singing that was still quietly lifting from below us. "If you don't go away now, I'll make sure I eat all the fire gummies the next time we get them."

"Have you ever stopped to wonder why we even bother doing this? It's not like we're getting paid."

I frowned deeply at that comment. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you only did morally good things when they involved reward!" With a grunt, I lowered myself into a pretzel, legs folded across one another tightly. "Feel free to not join me tomorrow night if it's that big of an inconvenience."

Silence followed and I was glad my brother caught the meaning of warning in my tone. 

"Does this have to do with us being--?"

"Don't you dare say the word."

"Eeeeeexiled--"

I groaned and put my head in my hands for a moment, taking a deep breath in before lifting my head and tucking a strand of black hair behind my ear. "Our parents are horrible people, Ortie," I started, using his nickname. "If we want to make up for the that in the slightest, we have to be willing to help people." Rubbing my hands together, I vainly tried to create some warmth without having to use my bending and mumbled. "Even if it's too cold..."

"Well, either way--"

"Shh!" I shushed suddenly, jumping to my feet and peering at the Northern edge of the camp...I could have sworn I saw something there.

A loud scuffle sounded on my right and I twirled, adrenaline pumping into my system as the picture of my little brother in a headlock came into focus, and I immediately shot my fist towards the sky, creating a plume of fire that erupted briefly into the air. The column of fire ended abruptly as pain exploded in my jaw and I fell sideways, landing awkwardly on my hand and knee. My mind was still reeling...who could have snuck up on us like this?? Before I could answer my own question, my arms were wretched backwards, making me grunt in pain as I was forced up to both knees, hands holding me there securely. 

"A firebender? Protecting a refugee camp?" A voice questioned, making me snap my head up viciously. I stretched my jaw as the pain spread like fire through the nerves in my face. 

"Are you okay Ortie?" I ignored the man and heard a small whimper of acknowledgement from behind him. 

"He will stay that way if you continue to be quiet, little one." 

I rose a challenging eyebrow. "Who you callin' little?"

With great finesse, I thrusted myself onto my feet before kicking out at the man in front of me, causing him to fall backwards with a small yell. Jets of fire escaped from my hands and I tilted them backwards, making the people behind me let go as the orange flame from my hands began burning their skin. I quickly pushed them away and saw that Ortie was handling himself just fine for the moment, allowing me to twist around and deepen my stance, fist outstretched and ready as a man and woman assumed fighting stances. 

"Sooo, who goes first?" I asked calmly. "Me? You?" 

I lunged left as a ball of fire blazed past, throwing a few plumes of my own as I ducked around their blasts. The woman fell first as I swung an ax kick in her direction, sending a thin slice of flame at her, before turning to the man and sending a series of punches that released a rapid succession of fire. He yelped in surprise as a pillar of rock suddenly grew from the ground and smacked directly into his head. 

Making an impressed face, I turned around to look at Ortise, whose fist was still outstretched as he watched the man slowly fall to the ground. The burning bushes around us made it possible for me to see his face in clearer detail now, and I saw a small cut on his left eyebrow. But his eyes were glinting with pride as he glanced over at me, his face still spotted with the same brown freckles as always. 

"Not bad, little Earthbender! Not bad." I nodded towards him. "Did you figure that out yourself?" 

Ortise smiled proudly. "I watched a few other Earthbenders from the camp do that yesterday!" 

It was nice to see him so happy about learning how to bend. It had been easy for me, since we'd grown up with Firebenders literally everywhere around us, but when my parents realized little Ortie wasn't a Firebender...things got pretty bad for him. He never had a teacher, and if they caught him trying to bend, well, let's just say it didn't get pretty. His punishments had always been taken by me. In the form of 'lessons' that were way too advanced for a girl my age. And I definitely had the scars to prove it. 

"Good job, bud." I told him with a small smile. 

Turning my attention back to the camp, I could see tiny spouts of fire being put out by the sound of rumbling earth. At least the other Watchers had seen my warning. 

I heard a sigh from beside me. "Seriously?" 

With knitted eyebrows, I turned to see the man from earlier holding a glinting piece of metal at Ortie's throat. The man's eyes were staring at me cunningly and I snarled, taking a threatening step forward, but freezing as a whimper sounded, and a thin line of blood appeared on my brother's neck. 

"Not another step, Firebender." The man cooed.

I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth together, clenching and releasing my fists in anxiety. "Okay," I said calmly. "Okay, I'll do what you want. Just don't hurt him."

Ortie's eyes were wide with fear, and I set my jaw as the man spoke. His speech was elegant, like he'd grown up speaking extremely pretentiously. "Well, Firebender, you're going to start by telling me exactly who you are. No one is that good of a bender without being an experiencedw warrior, and it's clear you are fighting for the wrong side." 

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously?"

The man merely narrowed his eyes. 

With a sigh, I glanced at Ortie again. I couldn't tell him who we were...would he kill us then? Did it matter? I mean, we were just exiled not wanted for dead. "I'm Jiera Huzoka. This is just a regular kid from the a nearby village. His mother's name is Jedora." I lied, as simply as I could. 

The man's eyes lit up at the name and I rose an eyebrow at his next statement. "You were exiled from the Fire Nation..." 

Ignoring the part about Ortie was good.

"And you are clearly a highly esteemed Fire Nation general since your attack seemed to go so well on a poorly fortified, impoverished, refugee camp of little to no military or political importance."

My eyes closed in annoyance as I heard scuffling behind me, and knew that wither the man or woman had waken up. Whoever it was grabbed both my arms and roughly tied them together. I let my head fall back for a moment, rolling my eyes dramatically. Something chose that moment to flit across the sky, then, something big. I narrowed my eyes for a moment, but then waved it away. 

"If I got paid every time I was arrested, I think I might be able to buy a spot on the Fire Lord's council, just like you did." I shot. 

"General Meva, sir," Someone suddenly appeared from my left, panting in their Fire Nation helmet. "The rest of the regiments have fallen, sir." 

Somehow, General Meva didn't seem to be bothered by this. "Take the girl. Put her on my ship."

The benders behind me started pulling me away, but I dug my feet into the ground. "Wait, wait, wait!" I started, grunting as they tried to pick me off my feet. "Let him go first!" Someone slammed something into the back of my head, and I heard a scream that wasn't mine.


End file.
